2003 Pacific hurricane season
The 2003 Pacific hurricane season saw an strangely big number of tropical cyclones affect Mexico. The biggest cyclones in 2003 were Hurricanes Ignacio (which killed 2 people in Mexico) and Marty (which killed 12 people in Mexico). Those hurricanes were responsible for nearly $1 billion (2003 USD) in damage. Three other Pacific storms and three Atlantic storms also affected Mexico. The only other big storm of the season was Hurricane Jimena. Hurricane Jimena passed just to the south of Hawaii. Hurricane Jimena was the first storm to go near Hawaii for several years.
| |
| Season summary map | |
| First storm formed | May 19, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Last storm dissipated | October 26, 2003 |
| Strongest storm | Nora - 969 mbar (hPa), 105 mph (165 km/h) – |
| 16 | |
| Total fatalities | 14 |
| Total damage | $1 billion (2003 USD) |
| seasons 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 | |
The season officially started on May 15, 2003 in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 2003 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 2003. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The season saw 16 tropical storms form, which is about average. However, this season was the first Pacific hurricane season since 1977 to have no systems become major hurricanes by reaching Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Storms
Hurricane Marty
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | September 18 – September 24 | ||
| Intensity | 100 mph (155 km/h) (1-min), 970 mbar (hPa) | ||
.jpg)
Marty killed 12 and destroyed 4,000 homes in Baja California.
Hurricane Nora
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | October 1 – October 9 | ||
| Intensity | 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min), 969 mbar (hPa) | ||
.jpg)
Hurricane Nora was the strongest hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean in 2003.
Other Storms
- Tropical Storm Andres
- Tropical Storm Blanca
- Tropical Storm Carlos
- Tropical Storm Dolores
- Tropical Storm Enrique
- Tropical Storm Felicia
- Tropical Storm Guillermo
- Tropical Storm Hilda
- Tropical Depression One-C
- Hurricane Ignacio
- Hurricane Jimena
- Tropical Storm Kevin
- Hurricane Linda
- Hurricane Olaf
- Hurricane Patricia
2003 Pacific Hurricane Season Media
In the eastern Pacific, two simultaneous hurricanes on October 6, Nora (left) and Olaf (right)
